London, 1883. 125 Gower Street was once a house of justice, truth, and perspicacity. Now madness, murder, and scandal lurk in its empty halls. It is rumored that its owner-Sidney Grice, London's foremost personal detective-has been driven to the brink of despair. But, as with all good stories, we must begin at the beginning.When Sidney Grice journeys to Yorkshire to solve a mysterious death, March Middleton, his ward, is left to her own devices in a London swarming with danger and vice. Curiosity, as we know, has a dark edge. So when an intriguing letter leads March to the gates of the palatial Saturn Villa and into the nightmarish world of her long-lost uncle, it could be the beginning of an end for all.